Methods for etching doped oxides in the manufacture of microfeature devices

ABSTRACT

Methods for selectively etching doped oxides in the manufacture of microfeature devices are disclosed herein. An embodiment of one such method for etching material on a microfeature workpiece includes providing a microfeature workpiece including a doped oxide layer and a nitride layer adjacent to the doped oxide layer. The method include selectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant comprising DI:HF and an acid to provide a pH of the etchant such that the etchant includes (a) a selectivity of phosphosilicate glass (PSG) to nitride of greater than 250:1, and (b) an etch rate through PSG of greater than 9,000 Å/minute.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed generally toward methods for etchingdoped oxides in the manufacture of microfeature devices.

BACKGROUND

Manufacturers of microelectronic devices are continually reducing thesize and increasing the density of components in integrated circuits toincrease the speed and capacity of the devices while reducing theoverall size and power consumption. Memory device manufacturers, forexample, seek to increase the capacity of memory devices (e.g., dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM) circuits) while reducing the size and/orincreasing the density of the components in the devices withoutcompromising performance.

DRAM circuits are generally manufactured by replicating millions ofidentical circuit elements (e.g., memory cells) on a single workpiece. Amemory cell is an addressable location that can store one bit (binarydigit) of data. Memory cells in DRAM circuits, for example, generallyinclude a storage capacitor and an access field effect transistor. Thesecomponents can also include a number of different features or structures(e.g., source areas, drain areas, gates, word lines, bit lines, etc.)that are fabricated on the workpiece. As memory cells shrink, however,it is becoming increasingly difficult to fabricate the cells withindesired specifications, while simultaneously decreasing the size of theindividual cells and increasing the cell density.

One area of particular concern in the manufacture of memory cells isproviding capacitors with sufficiently high storage capacitance tomaintain a charge at the desired refresh rates. Many manufacturers usethree-dimensional capacitor configurations, such as stacked capacitors,to address this problem. Stacked capacitors are stacked or placed overthe access transistor for a cell located in the workpiece. One commontype of stacked capacitor, for example, is a double-sided containercapacitor. A double-sided container capacitor is shaped like anupstanding tube or cylinder having a generally arcuate cross-section.Double-sided container capacitors are advantageous because theygenerally increase the storage capacitance of the memory cells, and yetreduce the depth of the container. Double-sided capacitors, however,generally require more lateral space than conventional capacitors, andthis is not desirable because minimizing the lateral dimensions of thecapacitors is necessary to increase circuit density and stillelectrically isolate the capacitor plates from the bit line contacts. Assuch, it is desirable to fabricate double-sided container capacitorsthat can be positioned extremely close together within the device (i.e.,a high density of devices).

One particular process in fabricating double-sided capacitors is etchinga relatively thick dielectric layer (e.g., a doped oxide layer) adjacentto a portion of the capacitor structure. The doped oxide etching processrequires an etchant with a high selectivity to nitride because thelattice that holds the respective container capacitors together isgenerally made from a nitride. The etching process additionally requiresa high selectivity to other materials (e.g., TiN and polysilicon) usedto form portions of the capacitor structure.

Conventional etching processes include an etchant comprising a mixtureof acetic acid and hydrofluoric acid (e.g., 30:1 ac-HF) to etch thedoped oxide material. This etchant has a selectivity of about 250:1 forphosphosilicate glass (PSG) to nitride. Etching processes using thisetchant, however, include several drawbacks. For example, the etch rateof nitride using this mixture is relatively slow (e.g., about 2,000Å/minute) and can require about 6-7 minutes per workpiece. As a result,this process can impact the throughput of the fabrication processbecause the etching process needs to be run on a single wafer platformto minimize defects. Another drawback is that acetic acid is extremelyflammable and difficult to work with because it has a very low flashpoint. Accordingly, manufacturing tools and processes generally requirespecial safety features and precautions. These extra steps and equipmentcan significantly increase costs. Furthermore, acetic acid itself isquite expensive compared to other acidic solutions.

Another conventional etching process includes an etchant comprising 10:1HF. This solution, which can etch nitride at about 9,000 Å/minute, canreduce the etching process time to less than 90 seconds per wafer.Etching processes using an etchant including 10:1 HF, however, alsoinclude several drawbacks. For example, the selectivity of this etchantis only about 200:1 for PSG:nitride. This selectivity may not beadequate in the manufacturing of certain devices (e.g., capacitors usinglow temperature nitrides to mitigate thermal budgets). Additionally, theetchant has a relatively low selectivity to polysilicon and TiN, andthese materials can be negatively affected and/or damaged during thedoped oxide etching process. Accordingly, there is a need to improve theetching processes used to etch doped oxides in the manufacture ofmicrofeature devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating stages in a method for selectivelyetching doped oxide material on a microfeature workpiece in accordancewith several embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate stages in a method of forming a double-sidedcontainer capacitor on a microfeature workpiece in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A. Overview/Summary

The present invention is directed to methods for selectively etchingdoped oxides, for example, in the formation of double-sided containercapacitors. An embodiment of one such method for etching material on amicrofeature workpiece includes providing a microfeature workpieceincluding a doped oxide layer and a nitride layer adjacent to the dopedoxide layer. The method includes selectively etching the doped oxidelayer with an etchant comprising deionized water and HF (DI:HF) and anacid to provide a pH of the etchant such that the etchant includes (a) aselectivity of PSG to nitride of greater than 250:1, and (b) an etchrate through PSG of greater than 9,000 Å/minute.

In several embodiments, the etchant can include DI:HF and nitric acid(HNO₃) having a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of about 2:1:X to about100:1:X. The value X can vary from about 0.0001 to 5. More particularly,the ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ can be about 2:1:X to 30:1:X, where Xvaries from approximately 0.5-3.0. In other embodiments, the etchant canalso include DI:HF and hydrochloric acid (HCl), DI:HF and sulphuric acid(H₂SO₄), or DI:HF and phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄). The ratios of thesechemistries can be approximately the same as the ratios for DI:HF:HNO₃described above.

Another embodiment is directed to a method for fabricating amicrofeature device on a microfeature workpiece. The method includesproviding a microfeature workpiece including (a) a doped oxide layer,and (b) a nitride material, a polysilicon material, and a TiN materialproximate to the doped oxide layer. The method further includes removingsubstantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchant comprisingDI:HF:HNO₃. The etchant includes a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of10:1:1.0-2.0 such that the etchant etches up to and generally not intothe nitride, polysilicon, and TiN materials.

Still another embodiment is directed to a method for forming a capacitoron a microfeature workpiece. The workpiece includes a plurality ofconductive plugs, a first nitride layer over the conductive plugs, adielectric layer over the first nitride layer, and a second nitridelayer over the dielectric layer. The method can include patterning andetching the second nitride layer to form a mask over the dielectriclayer. The method continues by forming a plurality of openings in thedielectric layer using the mask. The dielectric layer includes a dopedoxide material. The individual openings expose at least a portion of theindividual conductive plugs. The method can then include depositing afirst conductive layer in at least a portion of the individual openingsand in electrical contact with the corresponding conductive plugs. Thefirst conductive layer can include TiN. The method further includesdepositing a second conductive layer over at least a portion of thefirst conductive layer in the individual openings. The second conductivelayer can include polysilicon. The method continues by removing at leastsubstantially all the dielectric layer from the workpiece with anetchant comprising DI:HF and an acid to provide a pH of the etchant suchthat the etchant includes (a) a selectivity of PSG to nitride of greaterthan 250:1, and (b) an etch rate through PSG of greater than 9,000Å/minute.

Several specific details of the invention are set forth in the followingdescription and in FIGS. 1-2F to provide a thorough understanding ofcertain embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the art, however,will understand that the present invention may have additionalembodiments, or that other embodiments of the invention may be practicedwithout several of the specific features explained in the followingdescription. The term “microfeature workpiece” is used throughout toinclude substrates upon which and/or in which microelectronic devices,micromechanical devices, data storage elements, optics, and otherfeatures are fabricated. Microfeature workpieces generally have at leastseveral features with critical dimensions less than or equal to 1 μm,and in many applications the critical dimensions of the smaller featureson microfeature workpieces are less than 0.25 μm or even less than 0.1μm. For example, microfeature workpieces can be semiconductor wafers,glass substrates, dielectric substrates, or many other types ofsubstrates. Furthermore, the terms “planarization” and “planarizing”mean forming a planar surface, forming a smooth surface (e.g.,“polishing”), or otherwise removing materials from workpieces. Where thecontext permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural orsingular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expresslylimited to mean only a single item exclusive from other items inreference to a list of at least two items, then the use of “or” in sucha list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in thelist, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of theitems in the list. Additionally, the term “comprising” is usedthroughout to mean including at least the recited feature(s) such thatany greater number of the same features and/or types of other featuresand components are not precluded.

B. Embodiments of Methods for Etching Doped Oxide Materials onMicrofeature Workpieces

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method 10 for selectively etching dopedoxide materials on a microfeature workpiece in accordance with severalembodiments of the invention. The method 10 includes providing amicrofeature workpiece at stage 20. The workpiece can include a dopedoxide layer (e.g., PSG or BPSG) and a nitride layer adjacent to thedoped oxide layer. At stage 30, the method includes selectively etchingthe doped oxide layer on the workpiece. For example, the doped oxidelayer can be etched with an etchant including DI:HF and an acid toprovide a pH of the etchant such that the etchant includes (a) aselectivity of PSG to nitride of greater than 250:1, and (b) an etchrate through PSG of greater than 9,000 Å/minute. Further details of theforegoing method steps and examples of structures formed by executingthose steps are described below with reference to FIGS. 2A-2F.

FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate various stages in one embodiment of a method 10(FIG. 1) of etching doped oxide materials on a microfeature workpiece.More specifically, FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate various stages in a method foretching doped oxide materials during the formation of double-sidedcontainer capacitors (e.g., for use in a DRAM circuit). The doped oxidematerials can be etched with an etchant including (a) a desiredselectivity to nitride, polysilicon, and TiN materials, (b) a relativelyhigh etch rate, and (c) generally little or no acetic acid. Although thefollowing methods for etching doped oxides are described with respect tothe formation of double-sided container capacitors, the invention may beused for etching doped oxide materials in the fabrication of a number ofother microelectronic features or structures.

FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of a microfeatureworkpiece 100 at an intermediate stage of forming the double-sidedcapacitors on the workpiece 100. The workpiece 100 includes a substrate102 and a number of other structures and/or layers of material that havebeen formed on and/or in the substrate 102 in previous processing steps.The substrate 102 can be a semiconductor substrate composed of silicon,gallium arsenide, or other semiconductor materials. The substrate 102can alternatively be glass or other materials in other applications.

The workpiece 100 includes a plurality of isolation regions 110 (e.g.,shallow trench isolation (STI) structures and/or field oxide portions)in the substrate 102 and a plurality of active areas 112. The isolationregions 110 are shallow dielectric regions that electrically isolate theactive areas 112. The active areas 112 can include doped or implantedmaterials that form source regions, drain regions, and other structures.The workpiece 100 further includes gate stacks 114 (shown schematically)formed on the substrate 102. The individual gate stacks 114 can includea gate dielectric layer (e.g., a gate oxide), one or more gateconductive layers (e.g., a conductive polysilicon layer and/or asilicide layer), and one or more dielectric caps (e.g., a siliconnitride layer). In alternative embodiments, the gate stacks 114 can haveother configurations and/or include different materials.

The workpiece 100 also includes a first dielectric layer 120 on thesubstrate 102 and a plurality of conductive plugs 125 electricallycoupled to corresponding active areas 112 in the substrate 102. Thefirst dielectric layer 120 can include a doped oxide material, such asborophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), PSG, or another suitable dielectricmaterial. The conductive plugs 125 can include a polysilicon materialdoped with impurities to enhance conductivity. In alternativeembodiments, however, the conductive plugs 125 can be formed from othersuitable conductive materials.

The workpiece 100 further includes a second dielectric layer 130 overthe first dielectric layer 120 and the conductive plugs 125. The seconddielectric layer 130 can include a layer of silicon nitride (Si₃Ni₄)that acts as an etch-stop layer for subsequent etching processes, asdescribed in more detail below. A third dielectric layer 132 is over atleast a portion of the second dielectric layer 130. The third dielectriclayer 132 is a relatively thick (e.g., approximately 10,000-15,000 Å)layer of doped oxide material (e.g., PSG or BPSG). A fourth dielectriclayer 134 is over the third dielectric layer 132 and patterned to formopenings 135 over at least a portion of the conductive plugs 125. Thefourth dielectric layer 134 can include a layer of silicon nitrideand/or other suitable materials.

The workpiece 100 also includes a bit line plug 140 extending through atleast a portion of the third dielectric layer 132 and in electricalcontact with a corresponding conductive plug 125. The bit line plug 140can include a polysilicon material or another suitable conductivematerial. The bit line plug 140 includes a fifth dielectric layer 144(e.g., a layer of silicon nitride) covering the sidewalls of the plug140 to electrically insulate the bit line plug 140 from other componentsof the capacitor. In other embodiments, the workpiece 100 may includeadditional structures or layers, or the workpiece 100 may not includeone or more of the layers of materials described above.

Referring next to FIG. 2B, the third dielectric layer 132 is etchedusing a first etching process to form openings 150. The openings 150 areblind holes that extend through the third dielectric layer 132 to exposeat least a portion of the second dielectric layer 130. For purposes ofthis specification, a “blind hole” or “blind via” refers to a hole oraperture that extends only partially through a material or is otherwiseclosed at one end. The first etching process selectively removesmaterial from the third dielectric layer 132 but not the seconddielectric layer 130. The second dielectric layer 130 can accordinglyact as an etch-stop for the first etching process. The first etchingprocess can include the etchants described below with respect to FIG. 2For another suitable etching process.

Referring next to FIG. 2C, the second dielectric layer 130 within eachopening 150 is etched using a second etching process to expose at leasta portion of the corresponding conductive plugs 125 aligned with atleast a portion of the individual openings 150. The second etchingprocess can be different than the first etching process because thesecond dielectric layer 130 can have a different composition than thethird dielectric layer 132. For example, the second etching process canbe highly selective to the material of the second dielectric layer 130(e.g., silicon nitride) relative to the material of the conductive plugs125 (e.g., polysilicon). The second etching process accordingly does notsignificantly alter the general structure of the conductive plugs 125.

Referring next to FIG. 2D, a first conductive layer 160 is depositedonto the workpiece 100 over the fourth dielectric layer 134 and into theopenings 150 to line the sidewalls of the openings 150. The firstconductive layer 160 can be in electrical contact with the conductiveplugs 125 exposed within the individual openings 150. The firstconductive layer 160 is generally a metal layer, such as a TiN layer,that is deposited onto the workpiece 100 using a suitable depositionprocess. In other embodiments, however, the first conductive layer 160can be composed of other suitable materials and/or be deposited onto theworkpiece 100 using a different process. The first conductive layer 160provides a material for plating another layer of metal onto onlyselected areas of the workpiece 100 (e.g., in the openings 150). Achemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process, grinding process, orsuitable etching process can be used to remove portions of the firstconductive layer 160 that are outside the openings 150 from theworkpiece 100.

Referring next to FIG. 2E, a second conductive layer 162 is depositedonto the workpiece 100 and over the first conductive layer 160. Thesecond conductive layer 162 can include a polysilicon layer depositedonto the workpiece 100 using a suitable deposition process. In otherembodiments, the second conductive layer 162 can include other suitablematerials.

Referring next to FIG. 2F, the second conductive layer 162 is patternedand the third dielectric layer 132 (FIG. 1E) is etched using a thirdetching process to form a plurality of container structures 170 on theworkpiece. The container structures 170 include sidewalls 172 defined atleast in part by the first and second conductive layers 160 and 162. Thecontainer structures 170 are supported on the workpiece 100 at least inpart by a grid of the remaining portions of the fourth dielectric layer134. The third etching process selectively removes material from thethird dielectric layer 132 (e.g., doped oxide) but not the first andsecond conductive layers 160 and 162 (e.g., TiN and polysilicon) or thesecond, fourth, and fifth dielectric layers 130, 134, and 144 (e.g.,nitride). These materials can accordingly act as an etch-stop for thethird etching process. As described in more detail below, the thirdetching process should be highly selective to nitride, TiN, andpolysilicon because these materials comprise the framework of thecontainer structures 170. In additional processing steps not describedin detail herein, the workpiece 100 can undergo further processing tocomplete construction of the double-sided container capacitors on theworkpiece 100.

The third etching process can use an etchant including DI, HF and HNO₃to selectively remove the doped oxide material of the third dielectriclayer 132 without negatively affecting the surrounding materials (e.g.,nitride, polysilicon, and TiN) on the workpiece 100. As discussed inmore detail below, the proper ratio of materials in the etchant can (a)increase the etch rate of doped oxide material, and (b) decrease theetch rate of nitride (i.e., increase the PSG:nitride and BPSG:nitrideselectivity). Instead of using HNO₃, alternative embodiments can includeHCl, H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄, or another suitable acid that lowers the pH of theetchant below about 2.0 and shifts the equilibrium of the etchantsolution from generally associated HF toward more undissociated HF. Thisshift in equilibrium can significantly increase the selectivity of theetchant (e.g., up to about 400:1 for PSG:nitride). The additives in themixture should be controlled such that the etchant retains a highselectivity toward polysilicon and TiN.

The etchant can include a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of about 2:1:X toabout 100:1:X. The value X can vary from about 0.0001 to 5. Moreparticularly, the ratio of DI to HF to HNO3 can be about 2:1:X to30:1:X, where X varies from approximately 0.5-3.0. The ratios of thealternative etchant chemistries (e.g., DI:HF:HCl, DI:HF:H₂SO₄, orDI:HF:H₃PO₄) can be approximately the same as the ratios for DI:HF:HNO₃.

Although the ratio of DI:HF can be lower than 10 in several embodiments,if the ratio becomes too low the etch rate can become too high anddifficult to control. Additionally, the ratio of HF:HNO₃ can be higherthan 2.0 in several embodiments, but above this value the etchantbecomes significantly less selective to polysilicon and TiN and can etchback too much of these layers on the workpiece 100. A ratio of HF:HNO₃of approximately 2.0 or less, however, keeps the attack rate of theetchant DI:HF:HNO₃ to a about 4-5 Å/minute for the polysilicon and/orTiN materials. In other embodiments where the polysilicon and/or TiNlayers are relatively thick, the ratio of HF:HNO₃ can generally beincreased above 2.0 without adverse effects.

One feature of the methods described above for etching doped oxidematerials is that the selectivity and etch rate of the etching processcan be significantly improved as compared with conventional etchingprocesses. For example, the etchant DI:HF:HNO₃ is expected to provideover a 100% increase in selectivity as compared with conventionaletching processes using 10:1 HF. The above-described methods alsoprovide a significant improvement in selectivity as compared withetching processes using ac-HF, which has a selectivity of PSG:nitride ofless than 250:1. The increased selectivity of the etchants describedabove can accordingly allow for higher-density components inmicrofeature devices and increased precision during manufacturing of thedevices.

Another advantage of this feature is that fabrication processesutilizing the above-described etchants can be significantly moreefficient as compared with conventional processes. Etching processesincluding acetic acid, for example, generally have etch rates of about2,000 Å/minute. Extremely slow etching processes can accordinglysignificantly reduce throughput of processed devices. In contrast, etchrates using the above-disclosed etchants can be over approximately 9,000Å/minute. For example, the etchant DI:HF:HNO₃ can provide over a 25%increase in etch rate as compared with conventional etching processesusing 10:1 HF. The improvements in etch rate using the above-describedmethods as compared with conventional processes can significantlyincrease throughput of processed devices.

Still another feature of the methods described above for etching dopedoxide materials is that the etchants described above generally includelittle or no acetic acid. One advantage of this feature is thatfabrication processes involving the etching of doped oxide materials inaccordance with several embodiments of the present invention can besignificantly less expensive than conventional processes that requireacetic acid. Acetic acid is significantly more expensive than otheracidic materials, and the safety equipment and procedures necessarilyrequired when using acetic acid (e.g., because of its low flash point)further increase processing costs.

For the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from theinvention. For example, additional acid solutions may be used with theDI:HF solution to lower the pH of the solution and shift the equilibriumof the etchant from associated HF toward more undissociated HF. Aspectsof the invention described in the context of particular embodiments maybe combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Further, whileadvantages associated with certain embodiments of the invention havebeen described in the context of those embodiments, other embodimentsmay also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments neednecessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited, except as by theappended claims.

1. A method for etching material on a microfeature workpiece, the methodcomprising: providing a microfeature workpiece including a doped oxidelayer and a nitride layer adjacent to the doped oxide layer; andselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid to provide a pH of the etchant such that the etchantincludes (a) a selectivity of phosphosilicate glass (PSG) to nitride ofgreater than 250:1, and (b) an etch rate through PSG of greater than9,000 Å/minute.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively etching thedoped oxide layer with an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includesetching the doped oxide layer with an etchant including a pH below about2.0.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein selectively etching the dopedoxide layer with an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etchingthe doped oxide material with an etchant including DI:HF:HNO₃, theetchant having a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of approximately 2:1:X toapproximately 100:1:X, wherein X is a value from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 4. Themethod of claim 2 wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer withan etchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxidematerial with an etchant including DI:HF:HNO₃, the etchant having aratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of approximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 5. The methodof claim 2 wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer with anetchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxidematerial with an etchant including DI:HF:HNO₃, the etchant having aratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of approximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 6. The methodof claim 2 wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer with anetchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxidematerial with an etchant including DI:HF:HCl, the etchant having a ratioof DI to HF to HCl of approximately 2:1:X to approximately 100:1:X,wherein X is a value from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 7. The method of claim 2wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchantincluding DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide materialwith an etchant including DI:HF:HCl, the etchant having a ratio of DI toHF to HCl of approximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 8. The method of claim 2wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchantincluding DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide materialwith an etchant including DI:HF:HCl, the etchant having a ratio of DI toHF to HCl of approximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 9. The method of claim 2wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchantincluding DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide materialwith an etchant including DI:HF:H₂SO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DIto HF to H₂SO₄ of approximately 2:1:X to approximately 100:1:X, whereinX is a value from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 10. The method of claim 2 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide material with anetchant including DI:HF:H₂SO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toH₂SO₄ of approximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 11. The method of claim 2 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide material with anetchant including DI:HF:H₂SO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toH₂SO₄ of approximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 12. The method of claim 2 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide material with anetchant including DI:HF:H₃PO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toH₃PO₄ of approximately 2:1:X to approximately 100:1:X, wherein X is avalue from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 13. The method of claim 2 wherein selectivelyetching the doped oxide layer with an etchant including DI:HF and anacid includes etching the doped oxide material with an etchant includingDI:HF:H₃PO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to H₃PO₄ ofapproximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 14. The method of claim 2 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide material with anetchant including DI:HF:H₃PO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toH₃PO₄ of approximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 15. The method of claim 2 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide layer with an etchanthaving a selectivity of PSG to nitride of greater than about 300:1. 16.The method of claim 2 wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layerwith an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching the dopedoxide layer with an etchant having a selectivity of PSG to nitride ofgreater than about 400:1.
 17. The method of claim 2 wherein selectivelyetching the doped oxide layer with an etchant including DI:HF and anacid includes etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant having anetch rate of over about 9,500 Å/minute through the doped oxide layer.18. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively etching the doped oxidelayer with an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching thedoped oxide layer with an etchant that generally includes no aceticacid.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a microfeatureworkpiece including a doped oxide layer includes providing amicrofeature workpiece having a layer of PSG and/or borophosphosilicateglass (BPSG).
 20. The method of claim 1, further comprising: depositinga first conductive layer over at least a portion of the doped oxidelayer before etching the doped oxide layer, the first conductive layerincluding TiN; depositing a second conductive layer over at least aportion of the first conductive layer before etching the doped oxidelayer, the second conductive layer including polysilicon; and whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer includes using an etchant thatetches up to and generally not into the first and second conductivelayers.
 21. A method for etching material on a microfeature workpiece,the method comprising: providing a microfeature workpiece including adoped oxide layer and a nitride layer adjacent to the doped oxide layer;and selectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid, wherein the acid includes HNO₃, HCl, H₂SO₄, or H₃PO₄.22. The method of claim 21 wherein selectively etching the doped oxidelayer with an etchant includes etching the doped oxide layer with anetchant having a selectivity of PSG to nitride of greater than 250:1.23. The method of claim 21 wherein selectively etching the doped oxidelayer with an etchant includes etching the doped oxide layer with anetchant having a selectivity of PSG to nitride of greater than 300:1.24. The method of claim 21 wherein selectively etching the doped oxidelayer with an etchant includes etching the doped oxide layer with anetchant having a selectivity of PSG to nitride of greater than 400:1.25. The method of claim 21 wherein selectively etching the doped oxidelayer with an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching thedoped oxide layer with DI:HF:HNO₃, the etchant having a ratio of DI toHF to HNO₃ of approximately 2:1:X to approximately 100:1:X, wherein X isa value from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 26. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide layer withDI:HF:HNO₃, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ ofapproximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 27. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide layer withDI:HF:HNO₃, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ ofapproximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 28. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide layer with DI:HF:HCl,the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to HCl of approximately 2:1:X toapproximately 100:1:X, wherein X is a value from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 29. Themethod of claim 21 wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layerwith an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching the dopedoxide layer with DI:HF:HCl, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toHCl of approximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 30. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide layer with DI:HF:HCl,the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to HCl of approximately10:1:1.0-2.0.
 31. The method of claim 21 wherein selectively etching thedoped oxide layer with an etchant including DI:HF and an acid includesetching the doped oxide layer with DI:HF:H₂SO₄, the etchant having aratio of DI to HF to H₂SO₄ of approximately 2:1:X to approximately100:1:X, wherein X is a value from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 32. The method ofclaim 21 wherein selectively etching the doped oxide layer with anetchant including DI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxidelayer with DI:HF:H₂SO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to H₂SO₄of approximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 33. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide layer withDI:HF:H₂SO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to H₂SO₄ ofapproximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 34. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide material with anetchant including DI:HF:H₃PO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toH₃PO₄ of approximately 2:1:X to approximately 100:1:X, wherein X is avalue from 0.0001 to 5.0.
 35. The method of claim 21 wherein selectivelyetching the doped oxide layer with an etchant including DI:HF and anacid includes etching the doped oxide material with an etchant includingDI:HF:H₃PO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to H₃PO₄ ofapproximately 2-30:1:0.5-3.0.
 36. The method of claim 21 whereinselectively etching the doped oxide layer with an etchant includingDI:HF and an acid includes etching the doped oxide material with anetchant including DI:HF:H₃PO₄, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF toH₃PO₄ of approximately 10:1:1.0-2.0.
 37. The method of claim 21 whereinproviding a microfeature workpiece including a doped oxide layerincludes providing a microfeature workpiece having a layer of PSG and/orBPSG.
 38. The method of claim 21, further comprising: depositing a firstconductive layer over at least a portion of the doped oxide layer beforeetching the doped oxide layer, the first conductive layer including TiN;depositing a second conductive layer over at least a portion of thefirst conductive layer before etching the doped oxide layer, the secondconductive layer including polysilicon; and wherein selectively etchingthe doped oxide layer includes using an etchant that etches up to andgenerally not into the first and second conductive layers.
 39. A methodfor fabricating a microfeature device on a microfeature workpiece, themethod comprising: providing a microfeature workpiece including (a) adoped oxide layer, and (b) a nitride material, a polysilicon material,and a TiN material proximate to the doped oxide layer; and removingsubstantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchant comprisingDI:HF:HNO₃, the etchant having a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ of10:1:1.0-2.0 such that the etchant etches up to and generally not intothe nitride, polysilicon, and TiN materials.
 40. The method of claim 39wherein removing substantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchantthat etches up to and generally not into the nitride material includesetching the doped oxide material with an etchant that has a selectivityof PSG to nitride of greater than 250:1.
 41. The method of claim 39wherein removing substantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchantthat etches up to and generally not into the nitride material includesetching the doped oxide material with an etchant that has a selectivityof PSG to nitride of greater than 300:1.
 42. The method of claim 39wherein removing substantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchantthat etches up to and generally not into the nitride material includesetching the doped oxide material with an etchant that has a selectivityof PSG to nitride of greater than 400:1.
 43. The method of claim 39wherein removing substantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchanthaving a selected ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ includes etching the dopedoxide material with a ratio of DI to HF to HNO₃ such that the etch ratethrough PSG is over about 9,500 Å/.
 44. The method of claim 39 whereinremoving substantially all the doped oxide layer with an etchant thatetches up to and generally not into the polysilicon material and/or theTiN material includes etching the doped oxide material with an etchantthat has an attack rate of less than about 5 Å/minute for thepolysilicon and/or TiN materials. 45-56. (canceled)